The following are some of the key lifestyle and trend design ideas to consider when planning spa facilities, programs and experiences that are marketable and profitable: Create, orchestrate and deliver a unique spa "story": you need to play the role of the story-maker, producer, director, set decorator, wardrobe artist, actor, audience, etc. and make sure that everything you do is focused on creating "raving fans." More in not necessarily better. You don't need to have a big, luxury, expensive spa...

By Lisa Starr, Preston Wynne There are five general categories in which you will be measuring performance: Communication Skills Selling Skills Customer Service Technical Proficiency Team Play Technical Proficiency (service providers only) All of these categories are crucial components of an excellent customer experience, and therefore the continued growth of your spa business. Some examples of the benchmarks you would be measuring against in each category are listed below: Communication Skills: Can conduct thorough guest consultations Converses easily with guests...

"We have found that, with the level of group business we do, we have had to be creative in finding ways to accommodate large numbers of people in short amounts of time. Our operations have spilled into the spa pool area cabanas on more than one occasion. We have been able to add fifty treatments to an afternoon by using the cabanas to our advantage, so it has had a positive effect on revenue."—Adam Dubose, associate spa director, Agave, The...

By Douglas Preston It's every spa owners' frustration: creating a top quality spa clientele while facing a revolving-door change in key service and support personnel. Between incessant demands for pay increases, tailored working hours, avoidance of staff meetings, and cyclical career disenchantment it may seem as though you'll never assemble a stable and reliable team. And you're close to being right. In the spa industry the job jumping, burnout, and dropout rate are alarmingly high, rendering many spa owners unwilling...

By Douglas Preston The holiday season is over and those great gift certificate sales are beginning to take their toll on daily cash flow. You know that you need to offset this outgoing tide of dollars, but how? Do you really need to wait until Valentine's Day before the next influx of cash becomes available or is there something that you can do right now to keep the appointment schedule and register well fed? There is! Whether or not one...

By Douglas Preston Considering the startup of your very own day spa? A parade of beautiful, customer-filled spas and retreats has finally tempted you to bet with the players in this glamorous business. Let's assume that you've done your homework well. Feasibility study by an industry expert? Done. Stealth visits to your local competitors? Done. Trade show research on equipment, marketing, products, service menu, feng sui, and scented candles? Done. Bank loan? Done. Location and lease? Pending. You've planned, and...

Retinoids were one of the first cosmetic ingredients to receive FDA approval to claim the products decrease lines and wrinkles around the eyes. The mechanism of action involves stimulation of new collagen formation as well as elastin production. Other results are thickening of epidermal and granular layers, decreased melanin content, and more compaction of the stratum corneum. In addition, retinoids are effective in the treatment of pre-cancerous moles, thereby delaying the development of melanoma. Alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) are derived...

The Pop! Equation is what turns an ordinary store into a fun place to shop. In other words, a shop that pops! The Pop! Equation defines the features of stores that are ahead of the pack in enhancing the shoppers' experience. The distinctive features they have, called the Pop! Equation, include: High levels of customer involvement and interaction: Shoppers don't just browse the aisles. Shops that pop encourage customers to touch, feel, taste, try on and participate in the store...

By Jay Conrad Levinson, founder Guerrilla Marketing www.guerillamarketingassociation.com 1. Decide exactly to whom you will be mailing. This is the first step and the most important step. Do this one wrong and nothing else will go right. 2. Decide which specific action you want your reader to take. 3. Create an outer envelope or other packaging for your mailing. Its primary goal is to get people to open it and study the contents. 4. Come up with an offer that...

The average spa-goer spends $912 yearly. The best way to get non-spa-goers to visit a spa is to give a gift certificate; number two is to offer a discount. The top two services are hair and nail treatments People are more likely to book two services for one visit, instead of just one. Half of those surveyed used the same spa for both massage and skincare needs. The best way to acquire customer feedback is to offer comment cards in...